Saber CEO Clarifies AI Replacement Comments, Expresses Openness to AI Integration
Rideshare “Stimulator” was unveiled almost two weeks ago with a brief trailer that hinted at its satirical take on gig-economy driving simulations. However, it gained more attention when its former lead writer accused Saber Interactive of replacing her with ChatGPT during development. While Saber Interactive denied this claim, CEO Matthew Karch later stated he would have considered such a move “in retrospect.” He criticized the former developer while promoting the use of AI in a recent statement, acknowledging that generative AI is part of the game.
Earlier this week, narrative designer Stella Sacco, who served as a lead writer at Saber Interactive on titles like Stuntman Hollywood until 2024, alleged that Saber replaced her with AI tools and failed to disclose this on the Rideshare “Stimulator” Steam page. Sacco asserted that the decision to use AI originated from Saber, not Unigine, the game’s developer.
Saber Interactive responded, stating, “Neither Saber nor Unigine have replaced any writers with AI for Rideshare or any other game.” However, they did confirm that generative AI is utilized in the game’s previously unannounced “free ride” mode, explaining that AI is necessary due to the infinite number of passengers in the game.
Sacco stood firm in her claims, stating, “I was there, and it was my job to write the game, and then it wasn’t once Matt Karch decided using ChatGPT would be great publicity for the game.” She elaborated on social media, mentioning that her boss argued against the push for AI, emphasizing her capabilities and experience with live games, but the higher-ups insisted that “gamers love new tech” and that using AI would be “great marketing.”
Karch has now addressed the situation directly, making a personal attack on Sacco by suggesting she was replaced by “someone more talented.” He did not deny that generative AI is involved in “certain parts of the game,” which will be disclosed on Rideshare’s Steam page in due time.
“Stella who?” Karch’s statement began. “I had to ask Claude because I have never spoken to her or seen her. We have already said we are using AI for certain parts of the game and will update the Steam page once we have finalized the feature set.”
He continued:
“To clarify, if the entire story script were to win an award, it would go to someone who can walk up on stage and accept it. We always intended to reveal this until Stella violated her confidentiality clause and disclosed it before we were ready.
We view our use of AI in this game, which will be a lower-priced title, as a benefit for consumers.
As for Stella, she was replaced by someone more talented and terminated for various reasons a few months later. From what I gather, she enjoys controversy even more than I do. In retrospect, I would have been happy to replace her with AI. At least we would be dealing with someone programmed to be honest.”
Sacco responded by claiming that Karch was “lashing out” to downplay the extent of AI’s involvement in the game. “Everything I said was true,” she stated. “Here’s more truth: that statement is remarkably pathetic for the CEO of any company to be making, and combined with the AI use, it will do far more damage to Saber’s reputation than it ever could to mine. This screed will be many people’s first exposure to the Saber brand.”
The controversy, along with Karch’s handling of it, has certainly impacted Saber on the Rideshare Steam page. What was once a quiet discussion section is now filled with debates over the game’s use of AI and the lack of transparency regarding it on Valve’s storefront. The company relies on studios and publishers to be honest about the extent of generative AI used in their games. For now, Rideshare will be remembered as the game that initially concealed its AI usage from wishlisters, while its publisher chose to attack the whistleblower.
